ointment

The ‘costly ointment’ poured on Jesus' head at Bethany (Matt. 26: 7) was of ‘nard’ (Mark 14: 3), an aromatic oil from India, alleged to be worth 300 denarii (John 12: 5). An alabaster jar would have contained about an ounce, not the ‘pound’ of John 12: 3, which is an exaggeration.